When brewed in January '09, they produced a limited number of extra cases of this special beer with the intention of selfdistributing the excess inventory in southern California, enabling them to garner some profit from the batch so that they
could write a check to Dave's widow and young daughter. Through a recent arrangement, the Rare Beer Club purchased
all of that inventory for this month's selection, and all profits that resulted will be put into Dave's family trust.

Gember (Dutch for “ginger”) was among brewer/owner Wim Saeyens’ first commercially brewed beers—a bold move to kick off his brewery’s offerings as this is an uncommon style of beer (which is part of why we lined it up for you to check out this month). De Graal Gember is a blond beer spiced with ginger. This spicy root has long been used in beers as a spicing agent and, in some cases, can entirely supplant the use of hops. Its application is not t...

Lectio Divina translates to “Divine Reading,” and you can read the back bottle label for more on what’s meant by the name. This particular tome offers up an eloquent, everlasting beige head sitting atop a cloudy, caramel-amber. The nose is heavenly—and it’s just insane that this beer was made domestically as it’s got such a characteristically Belgian-nose. Look for lambic-like tart fruit notes, with an almost vinous acidity apparent in the scent....

A South American beer brewed in strict accordance with the 1516 German Reinheitsgebot (an ancient beer purity law?). It would seem so, but this sucker tastes more Belgian than German. S.A.P.A. stands for South American Pale Ale, which is an interesting title considering the fact that this is actually a Belgian-style Pale Ale. The word Eisenbahn is German for railroad, and the original Brazilian labels for the Eisenbahn beers depict classic train ...

Vigorosa is brewed in the Weizenbock style, a type of dark beer brewed with wheat (aka dunkelweizen) but brewed with heftier amounts of wheat and malted barley and, therefore, landing at a higher alcoholic strength than your typical dark wheat beer. Expect it to pour the darkest possible shade of amber, blissfully murky due to suspended wheat and yeast, with a luscious, finely-bubbled, fluffy, off-white head. On the nose look for a boom of clove-...

Gold Medal winner at the 2007 Great International Beer Festival. There are a lot of US beers popping up with the word “Kölsch” slapped on the label. Strictly speaking, only beers brewed in Cologne, Germany can truly be called Kölsch. It’s a very specific style and a regionally protected designation. Many of the domestic interpretations of the style blend “American” characteristics like high hopping rates with a light, easy-drinking ale. Tradition...

As any good fisherman’s tale reveals, it’s what lurks beneath the surface that you have to look out for. For an IPA, the hop aromas on this beer don’t quite explode out of the glass. Instead, they remain calm and serene, though you certainly can pick up some hop resins with citrus character dominating. As the beer warms, the current rouses notes of pine needles, brown sugar, and hints of spruce. But how quickly the tide can turn from calm to tumu...

Like its namesake, this reliable brew does the trick every time. And get this: it’s actually featured at Yellowstone National Park, where it is the park’s top-selling beer. On the nose, expect sweetbread, honey, delicate citrus notes, a slight hoppy spiciness, grassiness, and malt balls (think Whoppers). Expect the flavor profile to begin tame, letting the beer go down easy, then blossoming just after the swallow into notes of sweet malt and hone...

Happy birthday, Teton Ale. This year you’re 20, nearly old enough to drink! This beer was launched as Grand Teton B.C.’s original flagship brew. At the tender age of 19, this beer had already won 3 medals from the North American Association of Brewers, including a Silver in 2008. Expect big, robust aromas of candied citrus peel, grapefruit, resinous hoppy spice notes, big caramel notes, a tingling hop character in the nostrils, and notes of candi...